Well-known economist Daron Acemoglu urges PM not to turn the fight against corruption into a way of persecuting political rivals

Well-known economist Daron Acemoglu urged not to turn the fight against corruption into a way of persecuting political rivals.

Speaking with the Voice of America, Acemoglu brought China’s example which he said is far from having effective anti-corruption policy.

“If any influential leader or faction controls state bodies and persecutes rivals it weakens these bodies,” Acemoglu said.

He stressed that from the very beginning there was a danger that Armenia would follow a vicious path and this danger still exists.

In May 2018 Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan wrote on Facebook about having phone conversation with world famous economist Daron Acemoglu who he said was ready to assist Armenia in restoring and developing the country’s economy.

“Mr Acemoglu accepted the invitation to visit Armenia. The date will be specified later,” Pashinyan had written.

Acemoglu is one of the authors of well-known “Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty” book.

In June 2018, Armenia’s PM Nikol Pashinyan, deputy PM Tigran Avinyan and few other officials had a teleconference with Acemoglu and discussed Armenia’s development prospects, formats of cooperation with Acemoglu.